Last race of the year, and though it has been a short year, I was going to give it my all and make up for the August Olympic disaster.   That being said I did come into the race with a cold (again!) but I had a week to make up for it this time and really was basically a-symptomatic.

Conditions were perfect though.   Overcast skies, lower ‘60s temp, no rain (unlike sandman), so this was just going to be a go for it kinda race.   The only weather gotcha was the waves.   The surf had really picked up so the entry was a little more exciting, but nothing beyond what I could handle.

Overall the race went well.   No major equipment hiccups, no major fueling issues, just flat out racing.  I started the swim with a gentle pace to acclimatize as usual and then picked up on a few others to draft up and around the warf.   Knowing I had a cold, I decided not to totally push it and my time was a little slower.   Clearly more work to do on the swim, but still minutes better than other years

The bike was the second big ride with the new QR bike.   I discovered what the difference between a good bike is and an amazing tri-bike is.  On flats and uphill, I was passed by one racer, but on the downhill I just tucked into aero and easily caught up.   He was clearly the stronger rider, but I had him on aero!    The bike was definitely much slower than previous outings, but hey you gotta make up room somewhere.

The run was magical though.   The new Nike shoes are really game-changers.   I was cruising at a 6:50 pace and kicked it up a little at the end.   I passed two age-groupers to get seventh in my age group and 38th overall.   Also I was six seconds faster than I was 6 years ago.   Talk about aging well, especially after all of the injury I have had with my hip.   After the race my groin was definitely sore again, so I will now need to rest up and get ready for 2022!   Yay strength training, running, and cross country season!